Wikipedia:Arbitration Committee/CheckUser and Oversight/2012 CUOS appointments

The appointment process is now concluded, and the appointment motion has been published below. The current time and date is, 29 July 2024 (UTC).

To improve existing workload distribution and continue to ensure timely responses to requests, the Arbitration Committee is seeking to appoint additional people to the CheckUser and Oversight teams.

Accordingly, experienced editors are invited to apply for either or both of the permissions. Current holders of either permission are also invited to apply for the other. For an overview of the appointment process, see here. There is a particular need for Oversight candidates in this round of appointments.


 * Current demand for users with regional knowledge: Because of the increasing activity from the South Asian, Southeast Asian, or Middle Eastern regions, CheckUser applications are particularly sought from people who not only meet our general requirements but also are familiar with the ISPs and typical editing patterns of any of these regions.

Prospective candidates should be familiar with (i) the English Wikipedia CheckUser and Oversight policies; and (ii) the Wikimedia Foundation privacy policy and related documents. They will also have good communication skills and demonstrated ability to work collaboratively. Additionally, CheckUser candidates are expected to be familiar with basic technological issues and sockpuppet investigation tools and techniques. While not a requirement, previous experience with the Open-source Ticket Resource System (OTRS) is beneficial for Oversight candidates.

Applicants must also be:


 * available regularly to assist with the workload distribution;
 * familiar with Wikipedia processes, policies, and guidelines;
 * at least 18 years of age and have legal majority in their jurisdiction of residence;
 * willing to identify to the Wikimedia Foundation prior to receiving permissions.

Anyone considering applying should be aware that checkusers and oversighters (and candidates for these permissions) are subject to considerable internal and external scrutiny. The external scrutiny may include attempts to investigate on- and off-wiki activities, and has previously resulted in the personal details of candidates being revealed, and unwanted contact with employers, family, or others. Please be aware that the Arbitration Committee is unable to prevent such off-wiki activities from occurring or off-wiki distribution and discussion of personal information. This risk will continue if the candidate is successful in their candidacy.

Further details on the appointment process may be found below.

Appointment process

 * Dates are provisional and subject to change


 * Applications: 6 June to 15 June Candidates self-nominate by email to . Each candidate will receive an application questionnaire to be completed and returned to the arbcom-en-c mailing list. This should include a nomination statement, to a maximum of 250 words, for inclusion on the candidate's nomination sub-page(s).
 * Review period by the Arbitration Committee: 16 June to 19 June During this period, the Arbitration Committee will review applications, notify the candidates going forward for community consultation, and create candidate sub-pages as necessary. The pages will be transcluded to the Candidates section below prior to the community consultation period.
 * Community consultation: 20 June to 28 June The nomination statements are published and the candidates invited to answer standard questions and any additional questions the community may pose. Simultaneously, the community is invited to comment on the suitability or unsuitability of each candidate. These comments may either be posted publicly on the candidates' pages or submitted privately by email to . Editors are encouraged to include a detailed rationale, supported by relevant links where appropriate.
 * Appointments: by 11 July The committee shall review all the comments submitted and other relevant factors before finalizing an internal resolution, at which point the appointments will be published. The successful candidates will be required to identify to the Wikimedia Foundation prior to receiving the permissions.

Appointment motion
The Arbitration Committee has resolved to appoint four editors to the CheckUser team and eight editors to the Oversight team pursuant to the CheckUser and Oversight appointment procedures and following the 2012 CUOS appointments process.

Subject to the editors named below providing identification satisfactory to the Wikimedia Foundation (if they have not already done so), the Arbitration Committee hereby resolves to:

(a) appoint the following editors as checkusers:

(b) appoint the following editors as oversighters:


 * † Previously identified member of the Audit Subcommittee who will retain the specified permission(s) upon the conclusion of their terms.

The committee thanks the other candidates (Mlpearc, Tiptoety); those who applied but were not put forward as candidates; and the community in bringing this appointment process to a successful conclusion.

The committee also thanks, who has recently resigned as an oversighter, for his longterm dedication to the project, and wishes him well in his future endeavours. As well, the committee thanks, who has also resigned his checkuser and oversight permissions, for his work as a checkuser, an oversighter, and for his work as an arbitrator; John continues to make contributions in multiple areas within the WMF projects and as an executive member of Wikimedia Australia.


 * Supporting: Casliber, Courcelles, David Fuchs, Hersfold, Jclemens, Kirill Lokshin, Newyorkbrad, PhilKnight, Risker, Roger Davies, SirFozzie.


 * Not voting/Inactive: AGK, SilkTork, Xeno

For the Arbitration Committee, Risker (talk) 02:01, 14 July 2012 (UTC)


 * Archived discussion